That's the ideal scenario, since it will keep the two bombers below maximum affection, avoid having to date Yuina for a few months, and max out Shiori's affection. It's why we know Ayako and Yuina in the first place, so we are going to reload until we have that Perfect Christmas Party. Strap yourselves in, this could take a while. We're going to keep reloading until the Christmas Party event is exactly Shiori, Yuina, and Ayako. Getting Shiori's present at that point is a bonus.

If getting these five exact events to happen sounds ridiculous, it's because it is. The safest option is honestly to dodge the Christmas Party entirely, but Shiori does have an event that requires the Christmas Party... so Utter Perfection demands that we at least make the attempt.

12/23 (Holiday): Exercise
12/24: Ijuuin Christmas Party

Goon: (They're holding a Christmas party at the Ijuuin house today. I should probably head to the grounds.)
Goon: Here I am at the Ijuuin house. No matter how many times I see it, this place still looks enormous to me.

Man in black: Would you happen to be a friend of Rei-sama?
Goon: I don't know if we're friends, but we're classmates.
Man in black: That's good enough. Please come inside.

Goon: Looks like the party's just starting.

Rei: Welcome, everyone, to the pride of the Ijuuin family - our Christmas party.
Rei: Forget your dreary everyday lives, and make merry tonight!
Goon: Is he just saying the same thing every year?

Rei: Did you say something?
Goon: How could you not hear that? Are you stupid?
Rei: How uncouth. However, it is but the howling of a peasant. It affects me less than a mosquito bite.
Goon: I hate you.
Rei: Go and taste the kind of luxury you can only see once a year.
Rei: Haaaahahahahahaha! And now, I must excuse myself.
Goon: I really hate that guy.

Shiori: Ah, Goon. You were invited too?
Goon: Shiori, I didn't know you were here.
Game: Talked to Shiori for a while.
Shiori: My friends are waiting for me, so I'm going to go meet back up with them.
Goon: Okay, see you later.

Yumi: Fudou-san, you were invited?
Goon: Yumi-chan, I didn't know you were here.
Game: Talked to Yumi-chan for a while.
Yumi: Yumi came here with some classmates, so it's time to go.
Goon: Don't let me keep you. See you later.

It's Yumi-chan's present! The Tokimeki Card Game. We should play with her some time.

This is one of the nightmare scenarios. Yumi and Megumi's affection will skyrocket with this, and Yuina still has that bomb we haven't cleared. So...

RELOAD COUNT: 36

12/23 (Holiday): Exercise
12/24: Ijuuin Christmas Party, part 2

Shiori-Megumi-Yumi again, but at least we got Shiori's present. This is merely the second-worst outcome! Might as well create a new save here, just in case.

RELOAD COUNT: 37

12/23 (Holiday): Exercise

A gust of wind...

RELOAD COUNT: 38

12/23 (Holiday): Exercise

A dog barks...

RELOAD COUNT: 39

Cue the truck.

RELOAD COUNT: 40

At this point, we're starting to despair of ever getting a sequence that is not just Shiori-Megumi-Yumi. It's pretty brutal since this has a huge impact on the coming year. At this point, I reloaded an earlier save just to see if I needed to change the RNG seed or something. It didn't work, and it was Megumi and Yumi at the Christmas party again.

RELOAD COUNT: 41

Shiori... then Megumi... then...

Ayako: Merry Christmas! Glad to see you here, Fudou-kun.
Goon: Katagiri-san, I didn't know you were here.
Game: Talked to Katagiri-san for a while.
Ayako: Ah, gomen nasai, I'm sorry! My friends are waiting for me, I have to go.
Goon: Okay, see you later.

Yuina: Ah, Gunpei-kun, I knew you were coming.
Goon: Himoo-san, you're here too?
Game: Spent a while talking to Himoo-san.
Yuina: I have research left undone, so I will have to excuse myself.
Goon: Okay, see you later.

Good... good... this is good...

REE REE REE REE REE REEGodDAMMIT

RELOAD COUNT: 43

The next three runs had Megumi-Yumi sequences too.

RELOAD COUNT: 44, 45, 46

The next run had Megumi-Yuina. Improved, but still bad.

RELOAD COUNT: 47

Megumi-Yumi again.

RELOAD COUNT: 48

Promising...

YES

Game: It's time for the gift exchange. Pick which present you want to open.

Why am I not playing with save states damn you PS3 emulation why can't you just do this one thing for me why do I have to deal with a 25% chance after reloading 13 times

It's Himoo-san's present! A notebook-sized supercomputer! I feel the need... the need for research!

This is the second-best outcome. I could do a good-enough run. I really could. But you guys voted for Utter Perfection and that means I shouldn't settle for second-best. After all, how long could it take?

RELOAD COUNT: 107

No, that is not a misprint. I kept a running tally.

In those 59 reloads, there were 5 Shiori-Yuina-Ayako sequences, and a whole lot of Megumi and Yumi in between. But this one finally went well...

Shiori.

Yuina.

Ayako.

It's Shiori's present! A white coffee cup? This will make coffee taste better.

I am never, ever reloading a game this many times again. But here's our reward, at the end of the party:

Shiori: Wasn't that a fun party?
Goon: (It would've been better if Ijuuin hadn't been there.)
Shiori: Oh yeah, didn't we used to have our own Christmas party every year?
Goon: I think so. I wonder when we started going to different parties.
Shiori: You don't remember? A certain somebody decided to go off on their own and go out with their friends back in grade school.
Goon: ...you mean me?

We could have just waited until Christmas 1997 to see this, and it probably would have been way less frustrating. But here's the thing: the Megumi and Yumi dodging was vital to success. Megumi is liable to overtake Shiori at any opportunity. We can never give her the chance.

12/24-12/28 (winter break): Exercise
12/29 (Sunday): Date with Shiori

I'll be honest, I nearly forgot about this. It's... it's been a long two days.

Goon: (Today's my date with Shiori. I should go meet up with her in front of the slopes.)

In one of the previous loads, I checked this day just in case. Yes, if we see Yumi on Christmas 1996, her affection goes high enough to send a New Year's card too. Bullet dodged.

(ding-dong!)
Goon: Hmm? Who could that be?

Shiori: Happy new year!
Goon: Happy new year. That furisode looks really good.
Shiori: Oh, thanks... hey, do you want to head out to Hatsumoude...?

Option 1: That sounds good, let's go.
Option 2: Nah, I'll pass.

Speaking of bullets dodged, in some of the Megumi Christmas party runs, it was Megumi who came over to invite us out to Hatsumoude. Double dodged. Anyway, given the sheer amount of work we put into it, there is no way in hell we are turning her down.

As explained in Chapter 6, the best choice is almost always to ask for success in academics.

God: (Your wish shall be granted.)
Goon: (Hmm? It feels like my mind is working faster.)

Shiori: Hey, what did you pray for?
Goon: It's, uh, it's a secret. What about you, Shiori?
Shiori: Mine's a secret too. Because... hey, should we go pull our fortunes?

Nice save, Shiori. The implication is that she doesn't want to say, because it's embarrassing to say out loud.

This year, I pulled 中吉/Chuukichi, or moderately good luck.

Goon: (Eh, I guess it's not bad.)
Shiori: Hey, how's it look?
Goon: Go ahead and see for yourself.
Shiori: Ooh, not bad. This might be the best result anyway.
Goon: What about yours, Shiori? Let me see!
Shiori: Well... okay, I don't mind.
Goon: Wow, you pulled Great Luck! No fair hogging all the luck.
Shiori: But, um, you know what they say, "moderation in all things".
Goon: You don't have to console me, I don't really care.
Goon: (I. Am. So. Jealous.)

Shiori: As the saying goes, "Make all of your plans on New Year's Day". It feels like this is going to be a good year.

This is a real Japanese saying - it basically means "Get things done early"

Goon: You... you think so? Anyway, should we get going?
Shiori: Yeah, let's head home.

1/2-1/4: Exercise

So... I hope you guys don't mind if I take a little break here, since I spent a fairly sizable chunk of my weekend reloading this game.

On the plus side, the hardest Christmas is over! Christmas of year 3 is mostly irrelevant, so this is the last time we'll be doing anything even close to this annoying. I'll probably post again on Christmas morning, since my family traditionally gets together on Christmas Eve, and then lazes around on Christmas morning until movies and dinner.